President Recognizes Huge Social Inequality in Chile

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera admitted there is a huge social inequality in the country, and did not rule out a tax reform among possible policies to cope with it.

“If it were necessary, we would carry out a tax reform, but first things first,” Pinera told a local television channel last night.

The draft law on next year’s budget will make emphasis on education, health, employment, public order, and the anti-poverty fight, the president said.

Chile cannot regard itself immune to the global economic crisis, and in that sense, the government plans to implement measures to protect the middle class and the most vulnerable sectors through subsidies, he noted.

Referring to the conflict in education, the Chilean president confirmed that 70,000 young Chileans will miss the current school year because they refused to join the plan known as “Let’s Save the School Year,” a government program questioned by student leaders and academic sectors.

The Chilean government has made mistakes, the president admitted. “We could have had a better dialogue, and been more cooperative both with the students and the opposition as well,” Pinera said.